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H2Ours: Everything you need to know about TOAV’s claims
Apple Valley, CA — Which is it Town of Apple Valley? Are you going to lower rates? Apparently Not according to AVH20urs website; We cannot promise to reduce rates after acquisition but we will do our utmost to stabilize them
?
As are resident of the Town of Apple Valley, can you believe this? If this isn’t the most cynical thing I’ve read in a long time, I don’t know what is. For months, the whole premise of the TOAV’s hostile take-over of AVRWC was that the elimination of all that horrible profit would allow the TOAV to lower prices. Now, TOAV is acknowledging that they will not be lowering rates. The TOAV won’t even promise to keep rates stable, only that they’ll try. Yeah, right …
Proposition 218: No real protection in Apple Valley
Apple Valley, CA — One of the Town of Apple Valley’s recent H2Ours pretexts for the hostile government seizure of Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company (AVRWC) is that under Town control of the water, the people have a greater say in setting water rates.
The Town Government has even disingenuously stated the citizens would have the right to vote on increases in water rates.
This is refuted both by Apple Valley’s own past history, and the very structure of Proposition 218.
What is Proposition 218?
According to CaliforniaTaxData.com: In November 1996, California voters passed Proposition 218, the
Right to Vote on Taxes Act.
This constitutional amendment protects taxpayers by limiting the methods by which local governments can create or increase taxes, fees, and charges without taxpayer consent. Proposition 218 requires voter approval prior to imposition or increase of general taxes, assessments, and certain user fees.
The citizens’ right to ‘vote on increases in water rates’
The Town’s assertion that the citizens would have the right to vote on increases in water rates
implies that this would happen automatically. It doesn’t, and revisiting the Town’s 75 percent increases in sewer rates since 2008 proves that. (Sewer rates fall under the same Proposition 218 restrictions.)
During the last sewer rate increase imposed by the Apple Valley Town Council, the body spent 20 minutes discussing it. There was no public vote on whether or not to increase the sewer rates.
The increase before that? Four minutes …
Victorville’s Water District made unlawful decisions according to state audit
Victorville, CA — According to a State of California Audit, the City of Victorville is under a microscope for unethical and unlawful decisions with regards to the Water District, a water District that is run by the City and not privately owned.
In 2009 the Victorville Water District (water district) loaned nearly $21.9 million in ratepayer revenues in two loans to the city of Victorville (city), during a time the city was experiencing financial difficulties. While the loaned money was ultimately repaid, the loans resulted in harm to the ratepayers. Although it is not unlawful for a water district to loan ratepayer money or otherwise invest it in a prudent manner, it cannot do so if loaning that money impairs its ability to perform the functions for which the ratepayer revenue was collected. While the loans were outstanding, the district deferred maintenance on the water delivery system and borrowed $20 million from another entity — the Southern California Logistics Airport Authority (Airport Authority) — at a significantly higher rate of interest than it received on the money it loaned to the city.
TOAV declares war on AVRWC
Apple Valley, CA — Back on March 15th, I wrote that one might deduce that TOAV was at war with AVRWC because, In war, truth is the first casualty.
Obamacare vs. H2Ours: Three lies we’ve heard before
Apple Valley, CA — President Reagan famously said, The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.
These words only ring more true as time progresses as we watch our already bloated government take on even more responsibility to help
us in our lives.
On the national front we have Obamacare. This behemoth of legislation promised to help
Americans, because, surely the government can make better choices then you and your doctor can.
On the local side we are seeing a very familiar government issue, using the same talking points. Apple Valley’s Town Government wants to take over a private business because it thinks the rates are too high. It doesn’t matter if it’s a well run business, nor whether it delivers a product directly to you instead of going through a government bureaucracy first. Where they’ll take their cut. It’s a private company and they’ll be damned if a private will charge for a product.
In line with both takeovers, here are three lies we’ve heard before with Obamacare and are hearing again from Apple Valley’s Town Government and H2Ours.
Lie #1 — It lowers your cost
Obamacare — The peddlers of Obamacare claimed it would cut the cost of your health care. If only! When Obamacare went into effect, it created higher premiums and increased healthcare costs.
H2Ours — Town ownership will provide water rate stability? Historically, when cities have taken over private water companies using eminent domain, the cost to run them have stayed the same or increased. And honestly, when has government EVER done anything more efficiently than private companies?
Lie #2 — It will not cost taxpayers
Obamacare — We were told that Obamacare would not increase the deficit. As it turns out, the costs of taking over an industry were not paid by money that magically appeared. Instead, Obamacare will increase cost to the taxpayer.
H2Ours — The long-term deficits that the Apple Valley town government currently carries will only increase if they borrow money (on top of the money already spent to create a sham of justification for the takeover) to cover the cost of the takeover.
Further, they proudly claim The Town of Apple Valley would be eligible for advantageous government funding not available to a private company.
First, this statement is untrue. Second, they admit that they can’t afford to run it by themselves! These funding streams are funneled through the government but ultimately originate from our wallets as taxes. With the amount of government debt already owed, is it wise to borrow more to takeover a private company?
Lie #3 — If you like your provider, you can keep your provider
Obamacare — It hurts me to even mention this one. One of the biggest and most blatant lies ever told to the American people.
H2Ours — What makes a company? Is it the service they provide … or the employees and managers who provide it? Although the new owners, Liberty Utilities has guaranteed to retain 100% of the employees at AV Ranchos, the Town has NOT done the same. Apple Valley Ranchos is known for the high quality service, so why wouldn’t the Town make the same commitment?
What’s likely to happen is that the same high quality service you expect will no longer exist … because those same people will either leave or be let go.
Obamacare and H2Ours … two peas in a government takeover pod.
Source: D. Murphy, TheLibertyPoint.com
Call Apple Valley H2Ours campaign what it is — a hostile government takeover
Apple Valley, CA — The Town of Apple Valley wants to sugarcoat its efforts regarding the attempted takeover of the AV Ranchos Water Company at the expense of the taxpayer.
If you are a resident and you are paying attention, the Town Council is attempting to use a judge to condemn Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company, take it over, and then operate it themselves. If you live in Apple Valley, your government is seeking to forcibly takeover a private company that has said repeatedly it is not for sale — in your name.
The Town has recently launched a new website where it continues to gloss over and sugarcoat what it is really doing.
In its mission statement, the Town states:
The Town Council is investigating the feasibility of acquiring the water system and creating a public water utility serving Apple Valley.
Translation: The Town government has decided to go forward with using the court system to force a private company to sell their business to them.
A common theme is local control
for the Town, but what it really means is government control — of a private company.
Another point of contention with government staff is the fact that companies make profits given this snippet from their fact sheet:
Under public ownership, we can eliminate the profit motive …
Translation: We, as government employees who likely have never had a job in the private sector or signed the front of a paycheck, don’t like the fact that companies make profits.
Many would say we are a conservative area, but are these really conservative principles? Shouldn’t we be vocal about why a Town wants to take over a private corporation at the expense of the taxpayers of Apple Valley, many of whom aren’t even customers of AV Ranchos Water?
There were some other people in history who felt the same way about profits. Their names were Marx, Lenin, Castro, and Obama, etc.
This Town Council consist of five Republicans, who probably publicity proclaim the as other Republicans who suggest that private companies can do things more efficiently then government does. What happened in this case?
In looking at this hostile takeover, if Apple Valley’s Town Government succeeds in taking over the Water Company, it will very likely mean hidden taxes, in the form of higher property taxes, while taking it in other areas that you might not necessary even notice, spreading it around so that you don’t even notice it. There is one thing you can guarantee, you the resident of Apple Valley will NOT see reprieve in your water bill, instead you could see an increase and then where will that leave you?
The Town staff has ZERO experience in running a water company of this size, but should they even be given that chance?
While the Town staff like to spin the facts and say very conservative
things like local control,
we think every citizen should call it out as often as they can for what it is — A Hostile Government Takeover of a Private Company.
Source: D. Murphy, TheLibertyPoint.com
The Town of Apple Valley goes full xenophobe — and fails
I think it’s time for someone to call out the Town of Apple Valley for the desperate attempt to instill fear in people regarding the Liberty Utilities purchase of Park Water and Apple Valley Ranchos (Acquiring Ranchos Water Company is right move for Apple Valley,
Daily Press, March 8, 2015). In the form of constant mailers, brochures, email blasts (that AV residents are paying for), and speeches at hearings, the Town repeatedly reminded everybody that not only was Liberty Utilities from out of town,
but they were foreign
and foreigners.